A First Love
by KateSkirmish
Summary: William reminisces about when he and Grell first met. not pr0n!
1. Chapter 1

hello all! the other story i was writing got a little discouraging, and i also had the idea for this one, so i figured i could work on them both. :3 also, i had intended to post this on valentines day, but it didnt work out. -_-

this story is about william and grell. it always feels like theres some history between them (as friends, mind you), so i thought itd be fun to expand on that. i made the story more romantic so william is slightly ooc, but since the majority of the story takes place in the past, i guess theres a chance william really was like that. i dunno. anyway, enjoy!

* * *

It wasn't because they were lovers (which they certainly weren't), and it wasn't because he had hoped they would be some day. Really, the idea of them together was just preposterous. He had picked up the roses only as a symbol of their friendship. It was merely a gesture of goodwill. In any case, he knew all the flirting and passes made in his direction were just a joke. They were just that person's way of having fun by teasing him and making him uncomfortable. But more than anything, it was the roses themselves that were making him uncomfortable at the moment. It would probably be best to get them out of sight.

William T. Spears sat at his office desk with paper in hand as he thought about the dozen roses sitting in the open drawer to his right. Though his eyes were fixed on the work before him, his mind hadn't absorbed a word of it. He was more worried that the roses would send the wrong message, and he wondered if it would be best to not even give them at all.

He looked down at them. They were beautiful, even when sitting in a desk drawer. The bouquet was filled with delicate baby's breath and fronds of soft, green tree ferns. The roses were just about to open, and their rich, red color made them look almost like velvet. They were perfect, and no doubt they would be loved if received.

Feeling more anxious, William closed the drawer in one swift motion. Just as he did, there was a knock at the door.

"Come i-"

"WILLIAM!!" A thin man with long, red hair burst into the room and ran towards the desk. His wide grin of pointy teeth was more enthusiastic than usual.

"Grell Sutcliff, you can at least wait until you are permitted to enter before you barge in." William hoped his annoyed expression would hide his relief. He had just barely hid the roses in time.

Grell didn't seem to notice either way. "But William, today is the special day! You promised you would take me out on a date!" He danced around William eagerly, clearly not trying to contain his excitement one bit.

"You know full well this isn't a date. I'm treating you to a dinner as a co-worker and friend, but it's nothing more. Now if you would please wait quietly, there is still a bit of work I need to finish up before we can go." William looked down at the paper he'd been holding in his hand for the last half hour and began to read it, making marks with his pen every now and then.

Making a pouty face, Grell marched over to the other side of the desk to sit and wait.

"Hey Will, we've known each other for a long time. Do you remember when we met?" Grell kicked his feet up onto the desk and leaned his chair back on two legs. "It was when we first started working here. We looked so much younger then. Hey, remember?"

Of course he remembered. Even though it was decades ago, how could he forget?

---

It was the first day of the weeklong orientation for the new reapers who would be entering the field that year. William had long waited for this day, and he was excited about starting his career. The first matter of business was the morning address. Everyone was gathered in a large, theater-like presentation room where higher ups in the death god ranks spoke to them about what would be happening in the following days. It was here that he had first met Grell.

William was getting out paper to take notes when the person sitting next to him giggled quietly. In a whisper, he spoke. "Ehh? What's that for? You aren't seriously going to take notes on _this_, are you?"

Turning to see who was poking fun at his professionalism, William found himself face to face with a person he deemed completely without principle from the start. His hair was bright red and far too long, which broke code 17, sections 24 and 25, he wore heeled shoes, which broke code 17 section 12, and he wasn't even wearing a suit. Really, code 17 of the Death God's Rulebook, which related to proper attire and outward appearance, must've been entirely overlooked by this guy. And on top of it all, he was talking during the presentation. This was _not_ the type of person William wanted to associate with.

"So, hey. What's your name? I'm Grell Sutcliff. Don't you just hate these kinds of lectures?"

Begrudgingly, William quietly gave a reply. "My name is William T. Spears."

"Ah! Will! Pleased to make your acquaintance. Let's be friends!" Grell whispered happily.

William couldn't hold his tongue any longer. "It's _William_, not Will. And you should really straighten up. This isn't a place for those who would rather spend their time goofing off or idling about. This orientation should be taken seriously." He hoped his stern tone would be enough to get this guy to shut up, but not disrupt the presentation.

"Oh, maybe you're right. It looks like they're about to announce who will be rooming with each other. Wouldn't it be great if we're able to share a room?" Grell whispered back, ignoring William's words of disapproval.

Cringing slightly, William felt panic strike him. He hadn't known they would be pairing up for rooms, and if he and this Grell were put in the same room for the entire week, he was sure he would go crazy. This wasn't how he had envisioned his first week of training.

"In room 134 will be William Spears and…"

The voice of the person announcing the room assignments caught William's attention as his name was called. Out of the corner of his eye he snuck a glance at Grell, who was smiling wide, and holding his hands against his chest with excitement. No. It couldn't happen. The chances were one in a hundred, if that. But… a chance was a chance. With that thought, anxiety and dread filled William's heart as he awaited his fate.

* * *

after some thought, i feel itd be most fitting if william and grell were in their late teens (despite being how many hundreds of years old?) when they met, so imagine them as that. would that have been good to say at the beginning? o_O regardless.... theres more, and i actually have the story finished (in my head). amazing! please let me know what you think, and expect updates soon! :3


	2. Chapter 2

w00t! i didnt think it was possible, but i actually finished a chapter of each of my stories in the same day! ((does a celebratory dance)) this story is going surprisingly smoothly, and i think its only got one or two chapters before its done. shortie time! to be honest, will wasnt really one of my favorite characters, but i like him more and more as time goes by. so heres chapter two, but first some comment replies..

to heero: ha ha. maybe grell brings out the worst in william when they first meet. awww. its so cute. (and thanks for reading my stories!!)

to babydeath: grell and william ARE awesome, arent they? :3 hee.

to rosie: i know. seriously. there were like only two or three fics about william. im proud to have contributed!

* * *

This was it. The next name called would seal William's fate.

"...and Joshua Trent." the announcer finished.

William breathed a sigh of relief. Next to him, Grell, who had been far more anxious about the roommate situation than necessary, sat back in his chair. He looked deflated. "Aww. And here I was hoping I could room with my first friend here!" Grell pouted and crossed his arms in defiance for a few moments, then snapped back up as if he couldn't possibly be discouraged. "But, I'm sure we'll be able to see each other often!"

Not knowing what to make of the pure, sweet smile directed his way, William barely muttered a reply. "Perhaps."

As the assembly finished, the young shinigami trainees filed out. William had managed to separate himself from Grell by mixing into the crowd. As he left, he noticed one of their superiors had taken Grell aside and was reprimanding him for his appearance. Death gods had a reputation to maintain after all. It seemed as if he didn't have much to say for himself as he shrugged apologetically with his hands politely behind his back. William figured it served him right, then turned to leave for his first training class.

The four orientation-week classes were held throughout the day and were assigned randomly. After William's first class ("Shinigami Origins and Historical Figures"), the new death gods were given time to find their rooms and gather in the dining hall for lunch. William met his roommate, who he considered to be painfully under appreciative of formality, then made his way to the lunch room.

Finding a small empty table on the far side of the room, William sat down with his tray. He ate facing the wall, trying to ignore the noise of chatter and laughter surrounding him. Apparently most others weren't taking the training week as seriously as he was, and he knew it would be their loss in the end. Cutting directly through his thoughts as well as the noise of the dining hall, he heard someone shouting his name. As he turned to see who it was, his muscles tensed, and he contemplated making a run for it.

Running across the room toward him was none other than Grell, lunch tray in hand, long hair flowing behind him. "Will! William! WILLIAM!!!" He waved frantically, and his face was lit up with a huge shark toothed smile.

William didn't have time to escape, and he resigned himself to spending the remaining fifteen minutes of lunch with the guy he found to be the most embarrassing of anyone at the orientation. Making such a scene in front of everyone didn't help matters either. Not speaking a word, William watched as Grell sat down next to him and smiled.

"Keeping the wall company?" Grell giggled as he jammed the majority of an apple into his mouth, getting juice and bits of apple on his face as he did so. "Hey, it turns out I'm pretty popular here! Some guys saw me being scolded by one of the lecturers, and later in class they came and told me how cool they thought I was. Maybe I'll be famous!" Two more bites and the entire apple disappeared into Grell's idiotically smiling mouth.

This guy was getting harder and harder to tolerate. He wasn't just a nuisance, and he wasn't just immature, but on top of it all he was also hopeless when it came to eating habits. William couldn't stop himself from staring at the sticky mess at the corners of Grell's mouth in pained disgust.

"What is it? Do I have something on my face?" Grell asked innocently. Sticking his tongue out over his sharp teeth, he licked around his mouth, but still missed a bit of the apple. "Did I get it all?" He spoke with his tongue out, making his words sound more like _dih ah geh ih ahh._

William's nerves were really being put to the test. Staying composed and maintaining dignity was very important to a reaper's reputation, and he knew this. William pushed up his glasses with whatever was in his hand at the time (a butter knife in this case), as he often did when trying to remain calm and collected in the face of adversity. "Here. Let me help you."

To Grell's surprise, and perhaps William's own, he took his napkin and lightly dabbed away the remaining apple on Grell's face. The red haired shinigami's eyes widened, and a soft blush rose on his cheeks as he touched the place William had used the napkin. "Oh... thank you, William. You know, you're a really kind person."

William looked down at his tray and pretended to concentrate on his food. Was this guy an idiot? Who gets so emotional over something like that? It was turning out that every moment spent next to Grell Sutcliff ended up being more embarrassing than before. And the worst part was that he seemed to genuinely _like_ William.

For what seemed like longer than just a couple of awkward minutes, both young men sat in silence facing the wall of the noisy cafeteria. Just as William was about to speak, a voice came on through the PA system announcing the end of the lunch period.

"Ah, well I need to get to my next class early anyway. If those guys I met earlier are there, I'd like to get a seat next to them, so I'd better hurry." Nervously Grell gathered his tray and headed off.

It was probably a good thing Grell left to go meet with others who would be interested in having fun and joking around with him, and it was an especially good thing William was interrupted before he had a chance to speak. Calmly cleaning up his tray, William inwardly kicked himself for almost telling Grell he was glad they could be friends. Relieved that these words had not left his mouth, and thus not been the downfall of his remaining time as a shinigami, William left for his next class.

* * *

heh. i always completely fall for grell when hes being sweet, and i hope other people like that side of him too. i like to imagine in their young ages, william isnt as cool yet, and grell isnt as murderous and flamboyant yet. between when they met and when we are introduced to them in the real kuroshitsuji story, lots of stuff mustve happened in their lives. i wonder what.... ANYWAY, enjoy enjoy. if you really want to make my day, leave a comment. otherwise, just keep an eye out for the next update!


	3. Chapter 3

zomg this chapter turned out WAY different than i envisioned. i feel like william and grell get slightly out of character as this story progresses, but maybe itll be interesting anyway. i bring this up just so its known that i AM aware of it. this chapter is kind of depressing actually, and i feel like it got a lot cheesier too. oh well. no one said it had to be perfect. so as long as its still enjoyable, im happy. anyway, lets get to the story without further ado.

but first some brief ado...

to naria: im so happy that you like the cute grell too. hes got a pretty dynamic personality in the REAL story, and i like all aspects of him, but how can you resist when hes so sweet and loveable! but yeah... i felt like the school story was pretty effective... until this chapter. im worried its sunk into cliche territory. but dont let that discourage you! i think ive got a good end coming up. ((and thanks for reading my stories!))

* * *

Afternoon classes progressed as planned. William attended a rather interesting lecture in his _Ethics and Etiquette _class, and he took detailed notes during the _Practical Applications_ course. The day was going much better than it had, and he could only contribute this fact to the lack of Grell's energetic presence. As he gathered his notes and looked up the last lecture hall on his schedule, William hoped he could avoid that idiot for the rest of the week.

The room was noisy with the sounds of young shinigami leaving their previous classes and arriving for their next. It seemed most people had made friends easily and were already starting to form their own social groups. William wasn't interested in that. Formalities and procedures and obligations came first with him. Training was his current focus, and in several days, work would be his primary goal. There was no appeal in the frivolity of friendship.

In the halls, William passed a group of guys who were laughing boisterously about people they'd met, which made him think of his own acquaintance. Pushing up his glasses with the pen he carried, he tried to force the image of Grell's cheerful face out of his mind. Just as he was almost out of earshot from the group, William heard one of them almost read his mind.

"And what about the red haired guy who's always smiling like an idiot?" The group broke into laughter over recognizing exactly who had been referred to.

This caught William's attention and he stopped mid stride. He ducked around the corner and waited to hear where the conversation was going. It wasn't because they were good friends (which they certainly weren't), and it wasn't because he had hoped they would be some day. He was acting simply out of curiosity. He didn't _really_ care what was said about Grell behind his back, so there was no harm in listening.

"I know! He was in one of our classes earlier, and we convinced him he was popular and we wanted to be his friends!" Another round of loud laughter broke out. "And the best part is that we got him to fall for a prank we're going to pull."

With that, the group huddled up as to not broadcast their malicious doings to anyone who passed by. William edged closer, but could only make out bits and pieces of what was said.

"...meet up...storage room...then we'll...won't soon forget..."

He couldn't make out the details, but it seemed clear something ill natured was going to happen. William leaned back against the wall, a rare breaking away from his usual up right posture, and wondered what he should do. According to the Death God's Rulebook, bullying within the ranks was strictly prohibited, so he figured he would report what he had heard to one of his superiors. As he was about to come out from his hiding place and make his way to the offices wing, William heard a familiar voice.

"Ah! You're here already! I hope I didn't make you wait long." Grell's voice could probably be recognized in a crowd of hundreds, and it was apparent he was meeting the "friends" he had made earlier.

Staying where he was, and feeling lucky he hadn't been seen and pointed out by Grell, William waited.

"No, no. It's fine. We're glad to see you, Grell. There isn't much longer before the next lecture starts, so we had better get going."

The group dispersed, but William remained where he was. He felt like he was lost in thought, but no organized hierarchy of ideas came to mind as they usually did. No matter. He had already decided what should be done next, so he headed toward the offices.

The halls were fairly empty, as most people probably wanted to show up to lectures early. William walked in silence and concentrated on how spotless the building's beautiful marble floors were. He passed a shallow hallway that branched from the main one, and as he glanced up at it, he happened to notice a janitor's closet at the end. His eyes widened a bit and his heart rate rose. Was this the store room where they had taken Grell to do god knows what? William quickly trained his attention back to the floor. This was _not_ his business, and he did _not_ care either way about someone so maddening. All he needed to do was make a report about the broken rules, then head to his class. He forced himself to start walking.

It was then that he heard a muffled noise from the room he had just passed. He stopped immediately and looked behind him in that direction. Next came the clatter of something inside falling to the ground, then more muffled noises that sounded like someone's voice.

With that, William hesitated no more. He walked forcefully to the closet with large, brisk strides, and yanked the door open. What he found appalled him. Inside, two of the guys he recognized from the group in the hallway had Grell pinned down. One had his hand over Grell's mouth, and the other had gotten Grell's shirt most of the way off. His greenish eyes were full of fear, and he looked as if he were near tears. This was going far beyond juvenile bullying, and William would not stand for it.

Before either of the guys taking advantage of Grell had realized what was going on, William grabbed one's shoulder and threw him back, hitting the corner of the door frame and knocking him out. As soon as he was able, Grell cried out for help. "William! Please!!"

Shocked by the intruder, the second guy stood up to confront William, but was immediately subdued by a sudden explosion of pain in the bridge of his nose. Apparently the usually proper and straight laced William was not afraid to inflict pain if the situation warranted. He prepared to give another punch, but his target pushed his way out of the room and ran off saying he would be back with authorities.

Giving no more concern to Grell's captors, William turned back to face and assess the damage. It was a pitiful sight. His face and lips were red and slightly swollen where his mouth had been covered, and his shirt had been torn a bit in the struggle. William crouched down and looked at him with concern.

Sitting up wearily, Grell managed a small smile as he blinked away the tears in his eyes. "Well this is a little embarrassing. You won't think much of me as a man if I'm in this kind of state." He laughed, but not with any enjoyment. After letting out a long sigh, he leaned forward and put his arms around William. Closing his eyes and leaning against William's shoulders, he spoke. "I'm glad it was you."

The hug surprised William, but he returned it without hesitation. After a moment he stood and took off his suit jacket, gently dropping it onto Grell's head. Grell looked up at him questioningly through his long red bangs.

"I'm late for the last class of the day." William spoke with a flat, unemotional tone. Without any warning, he turned and walked away.

"Hey wait!" Grell called after him. He got up, jacket still on his head, and rushed to the main hallway just in time to see William disappear around the corner. After standing there alone for several minutes looking after the direction William had gone, he spoke with barely a whisper, "Thank you."

* * *

okay, so how was it? was i right to worry? :/ i think the end is near, and things will go back to being more light hearted from here on out, so look forward to that. and if you want to leave comments, they make me happier than eating ice cream!


	4. Chapter 4

it has been freaking FOREVER, and im so so so so so sorry that i took so long to update. i was feeling really bad about how the last chapter turned out and i was discouraged. also, drawing was getting to be more fun so i spent most of my time doing that and hovering around deviantart instead of here. so i apologize! but in other news, i was offered the position of co-owner of the grell fanclub on DA!

i want to thank everyone who read this, and a double thanks for those who commented. really, it was the handful of comments i received when i checked my email the other day that got me to sit down and write out the ending of this. i was even inspired enough to form more ideas for my other story. ^__^ its been so long since i wrote the previous chapters of this story, and i felt like i wasnt going into it with the same intent as before. i hope it works well enough, though. i kind of wanted to fill in the changes in william and grells relationship up to when we see them in kuroshitsuji, but by the end of writing i was getting tired so i just sort of typed it all out. i know it doesnt flow well. but anyway, this is the first story ive ever actually finished, so good job me! now, get to reading!!!

* * *

William chose to have his dinner in his room. After missing the first fifteen minutes of the day's final class (_Concepts of Business Management_), he was in a rather sour mood and didn't feel much like sitting in an overly noisy dining hall. If he was really going to be honest with himself, he would admit he just didn't want to endure the awkwardness of running into Grell after what had happened. But seeing as how it was easier to blame his mood on tardiness, he pushed the truth out of his mind.

Joshua, the casually informal roommate, hadn't yet returned and the silence was quite peaceful. This is how William liked his life. No unnecessary noises, no unnecessary people, and no unnecessary interruptions. He looked down at the hot, untouched soup on his dinner tray and tried not to wonder what Grell, the epitome of "unnecessary" was up to. Had word gotten out about what had happened? Was he alone and crying? Was he braving the dining hall despite the humiliation he would have to endure? Thoughts of the usually outgoing red head's current state tugged at William's heart and prodded him from the back of his mind. What if Grell decides to drop out? Wouldn't it be lonely from now on?

A slight flush came to William's cheeks as he realized what he was just thinking. Had that guy actually grown on him? William quietly contemplated this, trying to deny it as best he could while spooning uninterestedly at his now luke warm soup.

Without warning the door to William's room flew open and a burst of red flew towards him. Soup spilled over the table as did the after dinner tea that had been steeping. William found himself on his back and slightly sprawled out over the chair he had been pushed over in. As he looked up, his eyes met a pair of yellow green ones, wide with excitement.

"WILLIAM! GUESS WHAT!"

Of course it was Grell, the only one who could cause such a commotion when doing something as mundane as entering a room. William tried to calm his heart which had just about leapt out of his chest with surprise. Being unexpectedly pounced on by the subject of your unspoken thoughts will do that.

"Grell... what is it?" William asked tentatively. He had figured this guy would be full of shame and misery after what happened, but here he was grinning like a maniac with lethally sharp teeth and everything. William no longer knew what to expect when dealing with such an unusual person.

"Will, I'm moving in with you!" Grell's eyes lit up and his smile widened.

"....what?" William's voice cracked slightly, and subtle fear was written on his face.

"I ran into Joshua earlier and convinced him to switch rooms with me. It seemed like he didn't really want to room with you anyway, though I can't imagine why. But here I am! Oh, would you mind helping me bring in my stuff?"

Grell skipped over to his luggage which waited in the hall outside the door. Managing to get himself up off of the overturned chair, William followed him to the doorway. He looked down to find three suitcases that seemed to be stuffed to the brim.

"You know this is only a week-long training, right?" William asked wearily.

Grell looked back innocently. "Yeah, but I can't be seen in the same old thing all the time now can I?"

Dragging in the suitcases, William resigned himself to his fate with a sigh. "I can already guess from what I've seen you wearing today that with all these clothes, you didn't manage to bring even one properly authorized suit. You'll get kicked out at this rate, so I suppose you can wear one of mine."

"William. I'm touched!" The young red haired shinigami was looking up at William with wide sparkling eyes and a face full of amazement. Tears of gratitude were welling up, and it was only a matter of time before they spilled over. "No one has ever looked after me as you have! Such kindness!"

At that point in time William could find no words. The heavy suitcase he was dragging into the room pulled at his arms, and he was tired from his stressful day. He couldn't believe someone would have such an overreaction for something so simple as borrowing some clothes, and he couldnt help but smile at the thought. Later he wished that he could have taken it back, but as he smiled, William secretly promised himself to always look after Grell - forever.

---

The rest of the training went by in a heartbeat. Classes were simple enough, though William always regretted missing the first part of his management class. He heard it was something related to empathy and understanding in the workplace, so it must not have been too important. Grell wore William's suit, which turned out to be a bit too long in the sleeves, but William always kind of found that amusing. Between classes Grell constantly pestered him about sharing his lecture notes, knowing full well he would receive them every time. Though they were becoming more familiar with each other all the time, the two never ate together. William took his meals alone in his room and Grell made a plethora of friends in the dining hall. The incident in the janitor's closet had caused quite a commotion among the shinigami trainees, and rumours spread like wildfire, but somehow the whole thing just made Grell even more popular. At the end of the week Grell whined and cried over not being able to see his best friend, Will, anymore. After all, everyone new it was unlikely to be assigned the same post when they had the entire world to work. They parted ways with William wearing a stoic, almost expressionless look on his face, and Grell sobbing in tears.

William excelled in his work, and it wasn't long before he moved his way up to a management position. Though it was a gross misuse of his authority, he made a special request to have Grell's jurisdiction reassigned to London, the branch he currently managed. He kept his reasons a secret, and he would be damned if Grell himself ever found out he had asked for him personally. When Grell arrived for a brief orientation on the first day, he just about knocked William over as he leapt at him with his arms outstretched. Most of the staff bore witness as their Chief Dispatch Manager blushed and tried awkwardly to subdue the new addition to their ranks. Even now talk of the one and only time Mr. William T. Spears ever showed emotion sometimes circulates in the office.

Things calmed down a bit (as much as they could with Grell involved), and the years passed. William watched as his only friend got in and out of minor trouble at work, had various relationships that always fell apart, and passionately tried to stay on top of whatever was vogue at the time. Hell, he even started referring to himself as a woman every once in a while.

Shit hit the fan when the higher ups found out it was Grell who was responsible for the Jack the Ripper murders. Even William himself was surprised, but he desperately did his best to convince his superiors to let him handle the case. As friends the two had drifted apart except for the occassional flirting and teasing on Grell's part (which William didn't really understand anyway), but he was prepared to do whatever it took to cover for him. He even went to the human world to pick him up personally, and he was a bit shocked to find Grell professing words of desire to a demon. Maybe he was jealous, and maybe that's why he especially despised that black butler, but maybe no one had to know that much. When the two had returned to headquarters, William helped clean up the bloody and bruised mess that was Grell. It had been a long time, but in an instant William remembered the deep, grateful, teary eyed look as soon as Grell gave it. It was well after hours and they were the only ones in the office. It was the first and only time William had ever initiated a hug.

---

"And remember how much I cried when the training week was over?" Grell's bright laugh snapped William out of his thoughts. "Hey, Will. You haven't written anything in a while, so are you done yet?"

William crinkled his brow in embarrassment over having lost himself in memories. "Yes. I suppose I'm finished for now. Shall we go?"

Grell shot out of his chair and stood up straight as he tried to contain his excitement. "Ah! I'm so lucky to be going out on a date with Will!"

Gathering his coat and jacket, William ushered the enthusiastic reaper out of the office as he did his best to sternly correct him. "My name is _William_, and you know very well this is not a da- "

"Oh! I don't think I ever told you, but did you know, William? You were my first love!"

William's eyes widened at this, and he stopped in his tracks. A strong flush rose on his cheeks. It felt like his lungs didn't want to work correctly at this surprise and he coughed a bit. "Uh, well... you really shouldn't say inappropriate stuff like that. Anyway, wait here. I forgot something for you in my desk."

The End.


End file.
